One of the most important pieces of the 2022 driver market will soon be confirmed for the 2023 season. The negotiations between Ferrari and Carlos Sainz for the renewal that will continue the relationship between the Spaniard and the Scuderia have come to an end.
The final details are still missing, but in April the agreement confirming that Sainz will continue in Maranello for the next two seasons, that is, Formula 1 2023 and 2024, should be made official.
Ferrari is committed to stability and does so based on what Carlos Sainz has shown with them (last year and in this first part of the season) and the work done by the man from Madrid in the box, a context in which he has immediately found an excellent rapport. Sainz will thus be in the same position as Charles Leclerc, whose contract with Ferrari also ends at the end of 2024.
What is the destiny for Mick Schumacher in Formula 1?
Ferrari looks to the future, and in the next two years a solid driver line-up is assured. A step forward towards long-term work planning, good news for everyone except one: Mick Schumacher.
It is no mystery that the German aspired to drive alongside Leclerc, and many said that Sainz was only going to Ferrari to ‘warm up the chair’ for the seven-time champion’s son. But for now, his limited experience and results in Formula 1 (obviously due to the uncompetitive Haas of 2021) do not fit what is required of a driver to get into a Ferrari, especially if the plans are to aspire to the higher goals.
Major F1 teams now looking for expert second drivers
After years in which the big teams succumbed to the temptation of putting very talented but inexperienced drivers in the car, in recent seasons there has been a change in trend. George Russell had to spend three years at Williams before jumping to Mercedes and Pierre Gasly’s doors at Red Bull remain closed.
In championships with longer and longer calendars, regularity has become crucial for the final classification, and the teams have adapted to it.
Will Fernando Alonso and Sergio Pérez be in F1 2023? Renewal in the air
With Sainz’s confirmation, the number of safe drivers for the start of the next 2023 season rises to ten: Hamilton, Russell, Verstappen, Leclerc, Sainz, Ricciardo, Norris, Ocon, Gasly and Bottas.
And although the 2022 World Cup has only just begun, the market is already in full swing. The greatest interest is in the future of Fernando Alonso and Sergio Pérez, but in both cases it is unlikely that anything will be known before the summer.
Checo Pérez can count on the excellent relationship established with Max Verstappen and on a good general feeling with the team, and in his favor is also the stagnation of the Red Bull young driver academy which, after Max himself, has not left more pilots with devastating numbers capable of convincing Helmut Marko that it is worth betting on them.
In the case of Alonso, the chances of renewal seem to be exclusively linked to great results, the only variable that could motivate the two-time champion to one last dance in 2023 and Alpine not to give in to the temptation of putting Oscar Piastri in the car. From the team they admitted that they had to prepare Piastri in case Alonso decides not to continue, but the Asturian will have the last word.
Vettel and the great doubt with Aston Martin for the future of F1
Alonso’s scenario is similar to that of Sebastian Vettel, who will have little intention of continuing his Formula 1 adventure unless Aston Martin is able to grow significantly.
The disastrous debut at Sakhir, which was the worst weekend ever for the British team, is no help in the right direction. The team hopes to be competitive on the track soon, but at the moment it doesn’t seem like an easy task, and for Seb, if he can’t start the season until the Australian GP, there won’t be the feeling of having missed a good opportunity with a car, of moment, unable.
